Craig Bellamy has left no one under any illusion of what a successful Nations League campaign would like for his new Wales side:

“Win every game.”

With six matches over the next two months against Iceland, Montenegro, and Türkiye, Bellamy’s Wales will be doing very well if they are top of the group with six wins from six.

Bellamy, though, is bullish about the quality of his squad.

“I see a young team. I see a lot of talent coming through,” said Bellamy.

“But I also see, if I’m being honest, I see a very good team right now. The way I’m looking to try and play, it’s maybe a little bit different to what they’ve done with Wales before. It’s not a lot, but perhaps a little.

“So, for me to be true to me as well, but also with the talent of players we have, I believe if we can just tweak and adapt one or two little bits, it’ll give us a huge benefit going into the games of the future.

“I see a good group of football players, that’s all I see.”

Bellamy’s New Style

It’s evident from what the new Wales head coach has said in the build up to Friday night that the main tenants of his way of playing are very modern.

Pressing and intensity are words he uses often, while Harry Wilson has mentioned there being more “risk” in the build-up phase of the game.

Ahead of his side’s first run-out at the Cardiff City Stadium, Bellamy is clear on what he and fans can expect.

“What I would like from tomorrow night, its intensity, being able to play at that high intensity of football,” he said.

Bellamy is keen to utilise players playing in some of the most intense leagues in the world – Premier League and Championship – and use their physical strengths to Wales’ advantage.

“We have a lot of players who play at the most intense league in the world, which is the Premier League,” Bellamy explained.

“This is fact, this is numbers. Championship is sixth in the world too, if you measure high intensity sprint distance.

“We have players playing at a real high level of what that requires. We will try and use that to our advantage, but we will have other areas where we believe we will be able to cause Türkiye problems.”

Tough Türkiye First Up

Friday’s opponents will represent the level that Bellamy’s side are trying to reach. Türkiye reached the quarter-finals of this year’s EURO 2024, playing with a high intensity style of play and incorporating a new generation of young talent.

“They have a lot of talent and a lot of ability where they’ll be able to cause us problems if we’re not organized,” Bellamy said.

“If we’re not able to keep the line between the defence and the forwards compact, they will hurt us. So that’s what we’d be looking to do for most of the game, to hopefully be able to contain a very good football team.

“Every game is an opportunity to try and be the best you can be, and try and put up the best team possible, to try and get you that result and that’s what we’re trying to do against a really talented team like Türkiye.”

Early Stages of Development

Throughout the last year or so, Bellamy’s predecessor Rob Page would often stress that this Wales side are in transition away from the generation of Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale, and Joe Allen, and into the one that has the likes of Ethan Ampadu, Brennan Johnson, and Harry Wilson at it’s heart.

With Bellamy, though, this new appointment offers the chance for a clean break from the 2016 generation. Ramsey is still captain, but only Danny Ward and Ben Davies remain from the team that played against Slovakia in the opening fixture of 2016.

Bellamy has previous coached in Cardiff City’s academy and at Burnley, where he coached some of the Wales squad he now takes charge off.

“I was lucky enough to be involved with one or two other players in the past,” Bellamy explained.

“The level of information they’ve been willing to take on, how much they enjoy playing for Wales is always key. Of course it is. But they want to improve.

“They want to do whatever they can to help us be the best team we can be. And that’s been really enjoyable. I have to be honest, their attention in meetings and being able to carry out the information out onto the pitch has been a credit.

“It’s not always perfect. You have to problem solve at certain times.

“They’ve been a real credit and really enjoyable to coach. So, I’m very grateful for that.”

Minimum Expectations from a Bellamy team

As a player, Craig Bellamy never gave the impression he ever gave less than hundred percent on the pitch.

For his Wales side to reach the highest to he hopes – qualification and competitiveness at the 2026 World Cup – there are some non-negotiables that his players will have to buy into.

“Your habits have to be good. Body language has to be good, showing intent,” Bellamy explained.

“Do you work back for the team? Are you alive for that loose ball? When you look to press, is your chest over your knee? You ready to go? Yes. These are the habits.”

“I don’t like anyone waving hands. You achieve nothing for it, apart from give the opposition an extra lift.

“It sounds like it’s just press, press, press. No, it’s not. Our players are very clever. They’re able to adapt to these situations.

“That’s what we’re looking to get to.”

Whatever Wales side turns up to the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday night, one thing is clear: Bellamy has done his damnedest to make sure they know exactly how he wants them to play.

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